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The School of Hunger Games

If there’s one thing I learned during the gamut of press The Hunger Games received last March, it’s that a large portion of the media do not do their homework. Now, I’m not saying that flippantly, I’m stating a true fact here, and if you’re a regular, or a long standing reader of this site’s, then you can attest to the almost innumerable times we’ve pointed out just how idiotic the press can be where it comes to The Hunger Games. So, why the fuck am I writing about this phenomena again?! Simple– I really really really hope that after last March that they’ve all gone to Hunger Games school, and will stop dropping gems like, “The Hunger Games is a story about a bunch of kids who are forced to fight over food.” I kid you not, I heard an Entertainment Tonight presenter say that, and it’s scarred me. So, by a unicorn’s chance in hell, if an entertainment news presenter, or writer reads this– this is for you.

Hunger Games School: What You Need To Know Before November, 2013

They’re not fighting over food– it’s not a giant food fight, I promise.

If the person you’re speaking to isn’t Josh Hutcherson, Sam Claflin, Jennifer Lawrence, Woody Harrelson, Liam Hemsworth, or possibly Lenny Kravitz– no one who read the books, with a healthy point of view, had crushes on their characters, because they’re not main characters, and people did not emotionally invest in them, except to possibly hate them, feel sorry for them, or wish they were their grandma.

It’s pronounced Peet-uh. And, no– it’s not Peter pronounced like on The Family Guy. Peeta’s a baker– his name is like the flat bread, or the chips you buy for too much money at Whole Foods.

Please for the love of god, no one likes it when you use the phrase “love triangle”, in fact even the actors kind of hate it, so just don’t use it, maybe ask about character arc, or motivation, back-story, things like that– actor-y stuff is good, we like that stuff, and so do the actors.

We don’t care about Miley.

It’s not “the new ___ insert name of popular series __” If you want to compare it to something, talk about reality TV of today, as well as possibly the numerous war conflicts happening or in the recent past, as well as regimes that engage in elitism, and oppression of their citizens, ex. Syria. Other examples. Egypt, Tunisia, Darfur, and Iran.

There is no “Team Gale” or “Team Peeta”, I do not care how many people are wearing t-shirts that sport these so-called teams– but no one with an iota of respect for them selves or the characters they’re supposedly on an imaginary sports team for, would be on their bloody sports team, so don’t talk about them, because you look and sound like a dumb-ass if you do.

It would really help if you read the books– honest. You could even get them in audio format, put them on your ipod, and listen to them at the gym, or in the car.

All right little doggies, if you can’t wrap your brains around all of that by November, 2013– you’re hopeless.
Them There Eyes

I agree that it clearly relates to the current wars happening now days…in the arab countries….except its really hard to find out what the exact truth is or what is really going on……and that relates to the media that can misrepresent groups or not telling truthful stories…rather they tell what they choose to tell …which can clearly relate to the capitol sending wrong information about Katniss…her intentions…goals….misrepresentation……

That is what I really like about these books…..they have soo much layer in them and clearly is watning everyone who to trust and who not to trust…

The conflict in Syria has a lot of the media battles that we see in Mockingjay. I was looking up stuff for a counter-IED briefing a couple weeks ago, and the rebels have produced a lot of slick videos about their attacks, complete with music, graphics and editing.

It’s kind of uncanny, because the books were written before the Arab Spring, but they resonate really well with those events.

That is extremely scary what the rebels are doing….and to kind off make it an entertaining thing is what really terrifies me….I can really see how it relates to those mockingjay videos they made for the media in the last book….wow LtNOWIS I have never thought about that….good analysis hehe!

I guess afterall, there are indeed many layers and relations between the book and the real life!

Yes, this too is exactly why I like the series as well, the parallels between contemporary issues/ conflicts are sometimes extremely acute. I know that the media on both sides of current issues bend things to their own views and/or side, this is why I tend to get my news from more than one source, someday it’s only CBS news and NBC news, but even between those two broadcasts you get an entirely different perspective on the same thing. But, then you take to the Internet which has a completely different filter from regular broadcast news, and you’re just overwhelmed, but at least informed.

News isn’t sexy though, so I’ve found that many news outlets trump things up to make them more appealing, which is so very Capitol-esque.

And I don’t fully agree with point 2. Actors do like playing their characters, that’s why they choose them. I’m pretty sure Donald Sutherland enjoys playing Snow, and the future Coin will enjoy playing Coin. If you’re talking about likeableness, I kind of liked Caesar Flickerman, for example, or Johanna, and also… Gale.

Nothing to do with likeable-ness, just about the shear stupidity I’ve witnessed the entertainment news media display whilst questioning the actors in the numerous interviews they were subjected to. One instance was on the black carpet at the world premiere, the kid who played the boy from District 9 endured an ill-informed news caster commenting that “everyone had had crushes on his character for so long!” And he just looked at her like, “lady, I die within the 1st few minutes of the games…”

To be fair, when THG shot in my town (reaping scene) the handout they gave local “important” people wasn’t too clear. I was at a lunch with those in-the-know and how they described the movie (based off what was handed out by movie folks) was very different than what I saw in the movie. It was pretty much point #1 on your list. Either that, or a lot of people misinterpreted it.

Thank you for the illuminating list. Is there a way to force all media to read your list before the reporters open their mouths/type on computers?

I want to relay a little media story tangentially related to your Team Peeta vs. Team Gale point. When I had read all the THG books and watched the movie, I spent a week or two combing interviews and you tube videos for more information on THG books/movies. I discovered an interview video that fits in the the category of “MOST EMBARRASSING TO FANS EVER”! The host of some “show” was interviewing Josh Hutcherson (Peeta), Liam (Gale) and Alexander (Cato). She gave them each a wooden paddle with a picture of Jennifer on one side and Katniss on the other, and then asked the asinine question, “If you had to choose between kissing Jennifer Lawrence or Katniss Everdeen, who would you kiss?”

Liam completely froze with a “What the …?” look on his face. Xander started laughing and eventually said something like, “Jennifer would kick my a** if I answered a question like that.”

But while all this is going on, Josh made a decision within 2 seconds, literally. He took the paddle and put it straight between his eyes so that neither picture showed. It wasn’t so much that he refused to choose, but that his reflex was lightening fast and in such a way that was so charming and disarming.

I remember that! I tried very hard after awhile to avoid the interviews that the cast did, because it just turned into well… that mess on Much Music. I think it was Much Music, I know it was in Toronto, I just know I eventually watched it ’cause there were all these gifs and meme’s on Tumblr using images from it. I should have just kept to looking at the gifs though.

“And, no– it’s not Peter pronounced like on The Family Guy.” AHAHAHA YES! Bless that awful awful bastardization of the Boston accent!

I die a little inside every time Peeta or Gale is referred to as “Katniss’ sexy love interest”, especially Gale because they have a complex relationship that barely counts as “like” at times, let alone love. Plus, as we’ve all said many times before, their love lives are not the central point of interest.

I die a little every time the north east/ Bostonian accent is bastardized as well. I also die a little when the series is chalked up to a WHO WILL SHE PICK racket. Hey, I like romance, and good looking men-folk as much as the next person, but I certainly didn’t read the series as if that was the focus.

Oh, #3 has me laughing! I’m from the land of the Family Guy (aka the MA/RI area). I can’t tell you how many people who haven’t read the books think his name is Peter! Because if your name is Peter, it’s pronounced Peetah. It kills me every time someone learns of their mistake.

JMF: Hmm, I don’t think Point #4 was meant to be a jab at the actual term “love triangle”, but the inordinate focus ON the love triangle. Yes, it does make up a large part of the books, but there is more to both Peeta and Gale as characters than being love interests for Katniss, and I think the point was that Josh and Liam are probably getting tired of answering the “what do you think of the love triangle” question.

That being said, there are many readers who do like the love triangle and focus on it, and I don’t think there’s anything wrong with that, either. I must admit, if it wasn’t aimed at the news media and aimed at fans, I’d find this post to be a tad on the snobby/elitist side.

Do you get some kind of power out of being totally rude to others when trying to correct them? Considering that you’re a teacher, that petrifies me. If you don’t agree with the phrasing, that’s fine. If you believe the love triangle is a major part of the story (though myself, Them There Eyes, and many other members of the fandom disagree, considering Katniss rebuffs all of Gale’s attempts toward a relationship except in moments when she thinks her rejection will pain him so there’s no real competition, as Collins makes a point of mentioning right in the books). However, why must you be so blatantly disrespectful about it?

Like the owner of this site has already expressed, your rudeness is uncalled for, and I personally don’t feel compelled to respond to your demands. If you’re disinclined from reading our articles any longer that is your prerogative. I am addressing the news media and the enumerable mistakes they have made whilst reporting on this series, if you’re as engrossed in the series as I am, or the runner of this site is, you would be appalled as well. If you are as engrossed as we are, then– clearly we’re watching, reading, and listening to very different reports, articles, and interviews.

Oh ya I completely agree with #7. I hate seeing Team Peeta or Team Gale pop up and being devoured into thinking its the next twilight. I honestly think most real fans dont jump on the team bandwagon and while others just care to see it as a next romantic love triangle story now that twilight it over.

Thank you, Dillon. And I agree that those that tend to focus on the media’s trumping up the series to be the next __ whatever__ are extremely short sighted. The Team stuff is by far one of the worst aspects of the series becoming to popular, the only team I ever or belonged to was a political one, and also I can’t even pick my favorite Beatle sometimes.